Transcendent Compounds - Hunger Strike for Religious and Spiritual Freedom - 2012

[GregKasarik]

Now in day eight of #Hungerstrike2012. Have spent the last two days at the annual conference for the Australian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs, but have only been spoken to by three people. :-(

Imagine that. Hundreds of people who work in the Alcohol and Other Drugs sector, and when they are confronted with a new idea, such as the religious and spiritual use of Transcend Compounds, they lack the basic curiosity to even ask the most basic of questions.

Do these people actually want to engage with the complex issues of Alcohol and Drug use, or are they simply on a junket to get away from work?

As an aside, I found out yesterday that the Victorian Department of Health hasn't bothered to send anyone to the conference. They clearly aren't interested in new discoveries and research might be used to optimise drugs policy.

Thursday and Friday, I'll be spending outside Treasury Place, which is where the Premier's Office is located.

[Psylo]

x

Edited March 22, 2013 by Psylo

[GregKasarik]

Yes, I have a bloody big A-Frame with A1 sized posters in it. It is bright and colourful, but to be honest, I think that the word "religious" scares people off.

[GregKasarik]

Change of plans for Thursday 22 November. I won't be getting out and about, as I have some things that need doing and can't wait and need to catch up with some businesses that might support what I am doing.

Day 8 has been good. Unlike previous days, when I was ignored by the conference delegates, I managed to engage with several of them and they were keen to hear what I had to say. This might lead to a radio interview, and magazine article or two, although not in mainstream media.

Still in good spirits. Am currently sitting outside in the sun with my puppy. Life is good!! :-)

[chilli]

to be honest, I think that the word "religious" scares people off.

 

lol, no shit, sherlock!

are videos of your interactions with people being made?

floating a few interesting discussions around youtube and other social media sites might help create a buzz and get your message out

Edited November 21, 2012 by chilli

[Psylo]

x

Edited March 22, 2013 by Psylo

[GregKasarik]

lol, no shit, sherlock!

are videos of your interactions with people being made?

floating a few interesting discussions around youtube and other social media sites might help create a buzz and get your message out

 

Unfortunately, I simply don't have the time to get everything that I should be doing done. When I'm there I don't have the battery life (although I'm getting another battery) to do much and I need to be talking to people, so when I get to where I am staying I'm spending time doing other stuff and just plain recovering. Also, I'm not as technically savvy with social media and the interwebs as I need to be for this to work smoothly. For example, I've had my twitter account for less than two weeks.

If people want to come in with video cameras and then post the footage, that would be good.

[GregKasarik]

Can somebody take a few photos of Gregs arrangment when they go down there, and post on this thread please?

Youre right though, if youre pushing the 'religious' them over all else, many people, as I would, are just going to dismiss you as another loony christian pushing end of days prophecy or mark of the beast.

 

Threre are a couple of photos on the event facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/events/387789641289553/

I fear that you are correct with the "religious" aspect, but unfortunately, I don't really have any choice in using it, because "religion" is a legal term that is fundamental to my argument and it is "religious freedom", rather than "spiritual freedom" which is a fundamental human right.

I might have to revamp the sign to remove mentions of religion as much as applicable.

[GregKasarik]

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I'll be spending at the Mind, Body, Spirit festival at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. As before, my office hours should be 11am to 7pm.

http://www.mbsfestival.com.au/index.htm

Monday I'll be on the steps of Treasury Place and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be spent on the steps of Parliament House.

As midday on Wednesday will mark two weeks since the start of the Hunger Strike, I'll also be taking a tab of acid, giving the phrase, "Tripping on the Steps of Parliament House" a whole new meaning!

[CβL]

I'm glad you're still alive mate, and it seems you are indeed doing good. Keep it up! :D

[Stillman]

2 weeks hunger strike + LSD = Crazy

Good luck mate I think what you do is very interesting, look after your self.

[GregKasarik]

@ Stillman. It is all about dose, set and setting and knowing where your boundaries are I've tripped many, many times and know my limits quite well, which is probably why I have never had a bad trip. On an empty stomach, it will probably hit me harder and faster than normal, but the stuff I'm using is old and won't get me anywhere near the four tabs that I normally take. The idea is to be able to remain coherent, which is something that I can easily do on one tab.

@ CBL. Thanks!

Day 12 of Hunger Strike 2012 has come to an end. Friday and today were spent outside the Melbourne Mind Body Spirit Festival, although security shuttled me off to the side, so I didn't really garner much attention. I'm fine with that, as the important thing at the moment is to just keep going and not loose sight of the big picture. Talking to people is important, but this is just a prelude to bigger things to come. Plan B, so to speak.

I've well and truly gotten used to the hunger and it doesn't really bother me at all. Yesterday, I was unable to go into the city, due to a catastrophic failure on Melbourne's train lines and I ended up suffering reflux for most of the day and night. I think I've determined the cause of the problem, namely that the mineral water that I'm drinking still contains quite a bit of carbon dioxide, even though I have left the bottles open for a couple of days to get flat. As I discovered last year, fizzy drinks act like sandpaper on a gut without food and this seems to be the case even when there is almost no fizz.

Tap water for me! :-(

I ended up getting some new signage printed that removes the word "religious" entirely. Hopefully this will make me seem more approachable.

Tomorrow, I am outside Treasury Place, which contains the Premier's Office. I intend to try to give him one last chance to talk to me, before I start doing things that people cant avoid noticing. He won't take me up on the offer, but I've made it abundantly clear the whole way through that I want to work with the Government towards a solution, rather than have to fight them every step of the way.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are parliamentary sitting days, so Saasha and I will be on the steps of parliament on those days. On Wednesday at midday, I'll be taking a single tab of LSD to celebrate and to demonstrate that it isn't as dangerous as people have been bullshitted into thinking. It is something of a risk taking this step, but I have to break through somehow, as attempts at reasoned, polite conversation just don't get heard.

For those interested in coming along on Wednesday, I've created a Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/374175446002834/

[Stillman]

Good luck Greg, don't get me wrong I like what you are doing, the Wednesday event on Face book is a good idea.

Edited November 25, 2012 by Stillman

[Amazonian]

After 12 days of no food, have you lost much weight Greg?.

You are doing so well. You have great will power, that's for sure.

[Bigred]

all the best bro hope you reach your goal

Edited November 25, 2012 by bigred82

[Bigred]

manna from heaven http://deoxy.org/manna.htm

[Nemisty]

Amazing effort Greg. Few have the courage and will power to do what you are doing. Dig it in and keep going!

[GregKasarik]

Hungerstrike 2012 enters day 16 today!

I'm feeling good and energised by all of the positive response that I have received from people, many who have had no awareness of the existence of EGA, or a wider community of users.

My weight is now 61.5 kg down from 71.0 kg at the start. I still have a little bit of body fat to lose and this should happen over the next couple of days, although my weightloss seems to have dramatically reduced over the last few days.

Tripping on the steps of parliament house went really well, with quite a number of people turning up. I've created a thread on it, which can be found here:

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34242

The other news is that I have decided to end the hunger strike on December 12, after I take my next tab of LSD on the steps of parliament house.

This is because I feel that four weeks of not eating makes my point just as well as five and many people are starting to express concern that I might harm myself in this endevour. 28 days will mean that I loose muscle mass, but this won't be at any risk of long term harm.

[Stillman]

Greg at 61 kg and another 12 days to go I would be a little concerned about health in last weeks. I would be going and seeing a GP in the last few days to get professional opinion. Don't take unnecessary chances.

[shieldsofstone]

I thought putting yourself on the line for your beliefs was the entire point of what you where doing? There’s hundreds of half starved people sleeping on the streets of Melbourne every night. How do you expect to stand out if your not 100% dedicated to your cause?

Just saying.

 

Jabez. You are an unmittigated, antisocial jerk.

Just saying...

[ayjay101]

Just a quick note - I caught up with Greg on Friday arvo last week. He was in great spirits and seemed to be doing well. I minded his post for a bit while he stretched his & Saasha's legs.. was interesting to be in that situation, albeit *very* temporarily. Seems as though a lot of the mall crowd are very far removed from us (and probably vice-versa)

EDIT: spelling of 'Saasha'

Edited December 4, 2012 by ayjay101

[GregKasarik]

Hunger Strike 2012 enters day 23! The last few days have been incredibly busy with being out on the streets during the day and doing something else in the evenings. On Tuesday evening, I was in the audience for The Project when they did their piece on MDMA and quite enjoyed that. Last night I went to Harm Reduction Victoria’s 25 Birthday celebrations and met a number of really interesting and highly motivated people.

Once this is over, I have big plans and HRV will hopefully be an important part of those.

In the last few days I have begun to feel a bit dizzy at times and am feeling much weaker. I also find that I am getting tired more easily and need more sleep (although I still have difficulty falling asleep).

Today, I intend to be outside the State Library again, although this may have to change if it rains, in which case I will probably head back into the Bourke Street Mall. I didn’t wake up until 10.30 this morning, so I most likely won’t be in until about 2.30pm, or perhaps even later.

[GregKasarik]

This is the latest letter that I sent to all of the Victorian Members of Parliament. I don't have time to put it up on my website, so will post it here instead:

Transcndent Compounds, Religious Freedom and Tripping on the Steps - Lets figure a win-win solution.

A week ago, on Wednesday 28 November I consumed a single tab of LSD on the steps of the Victorian Parliament House. Despite notifying all MPs days earlier l was ignored and nobody intervened. I ended up passing a pleasant afternoon with friends. This act was done under the religious freedoms granted to all Victorians under section 14 of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act (2006).

In light of my success in this endeavour, I will once again be taking a tab of LSD on the steps of Parliament House on Wednesday 12 December. Assuming that I am once again unmolested, I have decided that on that day, I will also be concluding my hunger, as I believe that 28 days without food is ample to make my point regarding the importance of Transcendent Compounds for religious and spiritual practice.

Today is day 23 of the hunger strike and it appears that my actions have gone totally unnoticed by both the media and yourselves. While it may surprise you, I find this a perfectly acceptable outcome, as my purpose is to secure the unambiguous religious freedoms of all Victorians, rather than to grandstand in public.

I regard your collective failure to act last week as a positive sign, in that you have decided to not pursue the path of confrontation that would inevitably turn me into a martyr. It may be that such calculus arises, because you erroneously believe that if you simply ignore me, I will go away. If this is the case, please disabuse you of such flights of fancy. The determination that has allowed me to go without food for over three weeks is the same determination that will carry me through to ultimate success.

For the last 18 months I have endeavoured to meet with the Government in order to discuss this issue and to work out a reasonable win-win solution that meets everyone’s needs. Sadly, it is clear that the Victorian Premier has little more than contempt for people such as I and has no interest in creating a tolerant, inclusive society, or in implementing evidence based drugs policy.

Because of this, I am now writing to so that I may extend the same invitation to dialog that I have repeatedly extended to the Baillieu Government. It is my hope that I can sit down with the Members of the Victorian Parliament in order to determine a suitable solution to the current impasse. In fighting for my religious freedoms under the Charter, I have introduced a wholly new element into what farcically passes as the “debate on drugs” and without the “demonstrably justifiable” reason required by section 7 of the Charter, the use of Transcendent Compounds for religious and spiritual purposes is completely legal under Victorian Law.

You have three options open to you:

1. You can work with me to achieve a solution that meets both our needs,

2. You can give into ignorant intolerance and persecute me to your heart’s content. This would inevitably entail enacting laws specifically for the purpose of targeting me.

3. You can simply ignore me.

Option one is the courageous option, as well as being the option which conforms to Victorian Law. It is the option that requires both wisdom and the understanding of a complex issue. It is the option that will require you to face down scurrilous media attacks and muckraking smear campaigns, but it is also the option that will allow you to begin reworking seriously flawed policies.

Option two is the “Syrian Option”; the option of tyranny. While it might keep some of the aspiring dictators happy will only turn me into a martyr and help promote my philosophies. Changing the law to make my spiritual practices illegal won’t stop me from engaging with them.

Option three isn’t really a solution. You might as well put your hands over your ears and continuously shout “LaLaLaLa!” It certainly won’t address the issues that I have raised.

For the last 18 months, I have done my best to encourage the Baillieu Government to go down the path of option one, but instead they have chosen option three. Clearly this hasn’t worked, and will not work. I am not about to slink of into the dark.

In approaching you on this issue, I am asking you to step above the vagaries of mere party politics and the short sighted dictates of polling. If there ever was an issue that cried out for leadership this was it, but sadly the very idea of leading seems to have become anathema in modern political life.

The denial of the religious freedoms of thousands of Victorians is a symptom of the larger problem that is Richard Nixon’s War on Drugs. Irrespective of how you measure it, this war is a complete and utter failure at achieving any of its objectives and only serves to funnel super profits into the hands of organised criminals.

After more than four decades of virulent, inaccurate and distorted propaganda, everyone is too afraid to admit that the emperor is not only naked, but is stark raving mad. Most of us have grown up in a society where governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars each year on lying to us by promoting the evil myth that alcohol is somehow good and all other drugs are somehow bad. The science and evidence that should guide good public policy has been outsourced to the shock jocks and opinion writers whose ignorance is only surpassed by their egos.

An excellent example of this appeared in The Age newspaper only yesterday, when they published an article on MDMA, in which highlighted the simple truth that it is a far safer drug than alcohol, has been demonstrated to be highly beneficial for PTSD sufferers and that allowing regulated access would make the job of police so much easier.

I am not asking that you rewrite decades of failed policy in an afternoon, but I am asking you to end years of blinkered stupidity and to work towards a sensible policy on drugs that acknowledges the real world realities, rather than the prohibitionist fantasy.

A win-win solution on Transcendent Compounds that respects religious freedoms, while protecting public health and safety is certainly achievable. The issues that I have raised are not going to go away and only a bipartisan approach to this issue will allow us to move forward and achieve a policy that protects the community while respecting the rights of people to make informed decisions about their own consciousness. I firmly believe that men and women of good will can, through discussion, arrive at a solution that respects the rights of all.

You, as a member of parliament hold the cards. It is you who will ultimately decide my fate and that of thousands of other Victorians. It really is a question of what kind of society you wish to create. If you value a democratic, tolerant society in which the respect for human rights is paramount, then please get in touch with me so that we can discuss these issues and begin to identify a reasonable solution to the current quandary.

Should the Parliament be derelict in its duty to provide appropriate regulated and legal access to these compounds, I will have no choice but to go it alone and set up my own frameworks and professional guidelines so that these substances can be used and accessed safely by those who wish to use them for exploration of Divine understanding. I do not wish to go down this path, but if you refuse to work with me towards a solution, I will have no alternative but to implement my own.

Kind Regards,

Greg Kasarik.

PS: For those with an interest in the actual science behind these compounds and who are doubtful of my claims that Transcendent Compounds are in fact non-addictive, non-toxic and psychologically safe in an appropriate dose, set and setting, I have included two excellent peer reviewed literature reviews that cover these important issues. As David Nichols' paper is quite technical, I have also included a summary of this written by myself, which covers the main points of his article.

[qualia]

dear greg,

if i was to attempt to notify a media outlet of your activity, which would be the best website/link to send them,

thanks

[qualia]

also do you have a twitter account? i'm not down with the kids these days but apparently live tweeting things like this might attract some of attention. on your last day you should consider live tweeting your activity. i can imagine a headline like "guy live tweets acid trip after 28 days without food" would attract a lot of attention (if not from government, at least from people in the so called "twittersphere")